Marijuana use contributed to Elder teacher's death. Don't legalize it

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The next time some politician starts promoting recreational marijuana I want you to remember Mark Klusman, the beloved Elder teacher who recently died after being struck by someone who was admittedly high on weed.

Politicians want the tax revenue to build things like streetcars and soccer fields and other essential (???) public venues. Do you believe we need more intoxicants on the road? Aren't alcohol, texting and general incompetence enough obstructions to safe driving? Are we just trying to support the "gateway drug" so that addiction to cocaine and heroine are more of a certainty?

Also, add in the cost of auto insurance which is clearly increasing in states with legalized recreational weed. Is the "price" we will all (users and innocent victims of the users) pay too high (pardon the pun) just to fill the pockets of the political spenders? I urge you to oppose any move to legalize marijuana. Remember the next casualty could be a family member or friend.

Mike Hauer, Villa Hills

Rosecrans’ HOF vote looks past ‘cheaters’

Regarding, “Rosecrans: Hall of Fame voting has no easy answers” (Dec. 25). Sportswriter C. Trent Rosecrans wrote that he knows “what happens on the field” and he does not know who else might have used performance-enhancing drugs and were never identified, He proposes that should be the basis for deciding who should get into the Hall of Fame.

Really?

That’s like saying that individuals caught cheating using performance-enhancing drugs should not be banned from participating in the Olympics, or no medal should be taken away because others have done it in the past and all that’s important is “what happens on the field.”

This is also a fine example to teach to young people; feel free to cheat as long as others are doing it and there won’t be any consequences because all that’s important is “what happens on the field.”

It’s also worth remembering that a vote for one of these guys is taking away a vote that could be given to someone that to the best of our knowledge played by the rules, but didn’t get that vote because it went to someone else like Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens that consciously and deliberately chose to cheat to puff up their credentials.

Jerry Mussari, Blue Ash

Who will stand up for traditional values?

In his Dec. 15 column, ("Teen hitman goes to jail three years following killing"), Byron McCauley discussed the case of an individual who was 16 at the time he killed another person making money as a contract killer. McCauley stated in part, "kids are not born killers ... In a perfect world, they are nurtured and cared for by their parents," and "attach to positive community role models who will help guide them into young adulthood."

These comments allude to what I feel is the most significant societal problem in our country today, the decline of the family structure. Single mothers leading households of multiple children from multiple absent fathers have become the modern "family" in many cases these days. What chances do innocent children living in these circumstances have at developing wholesome values, succeeding in their own lives, and respecting the lives of others? Who are their positive role models? I believe a mother and father living in a married family structure are the most obvious positive role models for children.

Locally, we have the Smitherman, Larkin, Griffey and Munoz families leading by example to promote the wholesome values and benefits of a strong family structure, but where are the national leaders in the world of politics, media, religion, music, sports, and Hollywood promoting this issue? These leaders and celebrities are quick to organize and promote charity events for childhood poverty, childhood hunger, childhood homelessness, etc., but why does it seem to be taboo to discuss and address the glaring root cause leading to these problems?

President Obama was in a unique, highly visible, and powerful position to influence and address this issue for eight years. How did he do?

Young boys and young men are probably most influenced by professional athletes. Where are the "Colin Kaepernicks" of the professional sports world promoting strong family structure, wholesome values and personal accountability?

Glenn Harmeyer, Colerain Township

Clean energy advocates seek Portman's leadership

The Clean Energy sector stands to benefit from the tax reform bill. However, the bill missed an opportunity to create a level playing field for the industry. While the phase-out schedule of certain renewable energy tax credits was maintained, a series of important “orphaned” tax credits were passed up.

We thank Sen. Rob Portman for supporting clean energy during the tax reform legislative process. But there is more work to do; the orphaned tax credits should be included in additional legislation to create even more jobs and economic growth and strengthen national security. We will be counting on his leadership.